Refining and Sharpening My Discernment

I’ve decided my life amounts to one long pencil sharpening. In my 20s, youthful arrogance usurped my teachable spirit. My pencil was barely sharp. New ideas piqued my interest at college.  Alternative schools of thought battled for my attention. I tucked Marxist volumes under my arms as I strutted around campus. Then I stuck a big toe into various pools of alternative religions. I imagined I was the smartest person in the room everywhere I went. My pencil seemed sharp. Until suddenly I realized I wasn’t. Since then, I’ve worked on refining and sharpening my discernment. And the farther along I get in the process, the more I realize I’ll never arrive at the finish line this side of eternity. But my tip is getting pointier!

I remain a committed, challenging work in progress. And I’m thankful that God gives me grace. I’m sure it will add up to a lifetime of baby steps. But even in admitting these impediments, I remain committed.  I vow to work harder at being more discerning. So I can be an effective kingdom builder.

But exactly how can I achieve that?

What Is Discernment Exactly?

I find it’s helpful to examine term definitions before tackling a goal. Especially one as crucial as refining and sharpening discernment.

What is discernment then? Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines it as “the power or faculty of the mind by which it distinguishes one thing from another.” Discernment involves separating truth from falsehood.  Virtue is set apart from vice. Discernment also requires a power of perceiving differences of things or ideas.

Possessing a heightened awareness of God’s presence and anointing is another aspect of discernment. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 about the Christian responsibility to “examine everything carefully; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

But discernment is also listed as a spiritual gift in Paul’s letter in 1 Corinthians 12:10. So, do these definitions present a contradiction? I mean, if discernment is a spiritual gift, can it really be refined or only bestowed? Can it actually be cultivated and nurtured?

I believe the answer is yes.

Like any good gift that comes from above, God’s invites us to His throne of grace to petition for more of it. In Jeremiah 33:3 God says to call to Him and He will answer us and tell us “great and unsearchable things” we do not know. So in some ways, we are accountable for developing our gifts. As Jesus illustrates in the parable of the 10 talents in Matthew 25:14, we need to be proactive with the gifts God gives us and partner with Him to develop them.

Sound like a fruitful proposition? Indeed it does. But how do we do it and will we do it? One thing we know for sure is that God invites us to call on Him. We read that when we do God will answer us and show us “great and mighty things” that we do not know (Jeremiah 33:3.) What a privilege and a blessing such a precious invitation is! So that’s the first step we can take. We simply bow our heads and ask God to develop the spiritual gift of discernment in our lives. But instead of merely leaving it at that, let’s get specific.

Here are some areas of our lives where we surely could use a greater measure of discernment and some pointier pencil tips. As you read through these, take some notes about how you can specifically pray in your own life with regard to each.

Discernment Regarding The Company We Keep

The company we keep matters. As Christians, we are called to help bring light to a dark world. But we also need an inner circle of trusted confidants,  prayer warriors, and accountability partners. Jesus modeled this beautifully with His posse of 12 disciples. Like Jesus, we too need an encouraging “posse” to keep us focused on what matters most in ministry and our faith walk. Only then are we in a position to help the unsaved come up higher.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners…but his delight is in the law of the Lord…” as we are reminded in Psalm 1:1-2. Paul issues a more stern warning about corrupt compadres. “Bad company ruins good morals,” he says in 1 Corinthians 15:33.

Relational Discernment

The way in which we deal with our inner and outer circles also requires discernment. In our dealings with loved ones, friends, acquaintances, and even our adversaries, keen discernment enables us to successfully navigate conflict. I find that arrow prayers in the moment can make all the difference in learning what to say and when to keep silent. In Proverbs 15:1 we read that “a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” I have a friend who often says she tries not to miss any opportunity to shut her mouth! Now there’s some sound advice! And Jesus reminds us that in all our dealings with others we are to be as “wise as serpents, yet gentle as doves.” (Matthew 10:16.)

These reminders are wonderful but often our temper and our right to be right get in the way. This is another area in which partnering with God proves invaluable. We can pray that God brings to mind the greatest commandment. It is to love others as He has loved us and put their needs ahead of our own. If we are able to strive for this, in God’s strength, we will find the discernment we seek in all our dealings with others.

Situational Discernment

Life throws us many curve balls so we need our discernment in our arsenal to help us decide what to do or say at any given moment. We receive two kinds of leading in the situations we face in our lives. Many great “leading notions” are those stemming from God’s will for our lives. Other good leading actions come from the pricking of our conscience through the Holy Spirit.

On the darker side of the spectrum are the corrupt “suggestions” from the Enemy.  They bring everyone down who comes into contact with them in thought, word, or deed. Though it sounds simple in words to discern and then choose what is right, the age-old quandary remains. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do,” Paul confesses in Romans 7:15.

Sound familiar?

I know it does to me.

In 1 John 4:1 we read “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” When we read the term “false prophet” we might think of some high profile person. But in actuality, anyone who speaks lies and tries to mislead even to just a few others fits that bill, too. Sometimes errant ideas are cloaked in sheep’s clothing and, like helpless lambs, we take the bait. Fortunately, we can lean into God’s word. We can follow the course of action laid out in the above verse and thank God for the framework He’s given us to discern His will for ourselves whatever we face.

Discerning God’s Will For Our Lives

Probably the area of our lives needing the keenest discernment of all involves following God’s overall plans and purposes for our lives. And although it sounds simplistic, the very best way to achieve this goal is to bathe ourselves continually in God’s word. We remain familiar with God’s edicts. In our quiet times studying and reflecting, we open up a pathway for Him to communicate with us. And in that precious time we can use the yardstick of what godly living looks like and lay it against the lives we are actually living.

Sometimes when I talk to people about how God speaks into my life, they become a bit discouraged. They say they don’t hear from Him in that way. I believe that it isn’t because God isn’t trying to talk to them. It’s because they aren’t receiving Him on a clear channel.

Remember the old transistor radios from the 1900s? You actually had to operate a dial tuner to hone in on a particular station. If you moved it too far to the left or right, you’d hear static. The same is true of your time with God. If you are trying to listen to a sermon online or read a devotion while texting your kid or making out a grocery list, your channel isn’t clear. It’s full of static and distraction. Even Jesus had to withdraw from the crowds to get alone with His Father. We too need to clear our mind and space of distraction. Only then can we focus and truly hear what He has to say to us about our next steps.

I’ve recently had to fine-tune my own channel and clear out some distractions in my life. Sometimes that requires making some painful cuts to pare away what hinders or obstructs me from accomplishing God’s will in my life.

Paring Down What Hinders

I liken it to the melanoma the plastic surgeon whittles away from my husband’s body every other month or so. Though the act of cutting bits and pieces definitely hurts, it saves him from greater harm later. When any small yet deadly part harms the body at large, it needs to go so it’s prevented from wreaking widespread havoc on the whole. This line of thinking inspired Jesus to say “if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of heaven with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.”

But it’s not going to come to that! We can sharpen our pencils without cutting out anything.

Join me in praying for greater discernment. May it that discernment rain over us in abundance as we consider our companions, our ability to relate to others in all situations, and to God as He leads us.

 

Join Christian encourager/blogger/author Cindy LaFavre Yorks as she sojourns alongside you in your faith walk. Partner with her as she shares her travel tips for navigating life’s most challenging detours. Through personal storytelling and Bible application, Cindy cheers you on as you raise your white flag and deepen your trust in Him to develop an unshakeable faith to help you go the distance.